Securement between oscillation-imparting coil spring and balance member of timepiece



H. 3,324,645 SEGUREMENT BETWEEN OSCILLATION-IMPARTING COIL HETTICH Filed NOV. 15, 1965 June 13, 1967 SPRING AND BALANCE MEMBER OF TIMEPIECE Fig.2

Invenlor: #050 #57'7/67/ rraeA m United States Patent 7 Claims. oi. 58-115) Movement controls for wall and desk clocks are in use, having the balance member such as a balance wheel or an oscillator suspended on a spiralor barrel-shaped directional-fo'rce or oscillation-imparting spring and supportedon a steel wire extending through the axle of the balance member. One example of this type of movement control is disclosed in the present inventors own US. Patent 2,763,123, issued Sept. 18, 1956.

The object of the invention is a new kind of connection between the spring and the balance wheel or oscillator axle, which is particularly advantageous for such movement controls in which the balance member has a relatively high frequency of oscillation and in which consequently the spring consists of a stronger material or has to have a relatively short length.

A more specific object of the invention is the creation of a connection between the spring and the oscillator axle of the indicated type of movement controls, which avoids the exertion of lateral forces by the spring on the suspended oscillator and the impairment of the isochronism of the oscillations resulting from such lateral forces.

With the aforesaid and other objects and advantages in view, the invention resides in the combination of the features outlined in the following.

The upper end of the spiral or barrel shaped, oscillationimparting spring is, in customary manner, secured to a stationary member of the frame work or chassis of the time piece; the lower end of the spring is, likewise in customary manner, secured to an annular lower stud, e.g. riveted into a slot thereof; the lower stud, on which the oscillator is suspended, is provided with a central opening which is larger than the outer diameter of the oscillator aXle to which it is to be connected; the spring, which after securement at its upper end to the chassis will as a rule initially show a lateral deviation resulting in a contact between the inner surface of the lower annular stud and the axle of the oscillator, is slightly bent at its upper end by means of a small pair of pliers or a pincette so that the inner surface of the annular stud surrounds with play the outer surface of the oscillator axle; finally, a drop of a liquid, subsequently hardening, adhesive, preferably a synthetic adhesive, is introduced into the re- :maining space between the inner surface of the annular stud and the outer surface of the oscillator axle and is hardened, such as by the application of heat.

The aforesaid and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the embodiment of the invention, which is described in the following and shown in the attached drawing. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevation, partly in section, of the novel movement control; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional plan view, the section being taken along line II-II of FIG. 1.

. Patented June 13, 1967 The drawing shows a lower annular stud 1, an upper annular stud 2 and a spiral spring 3, wound of spring band, on which the oscillator 4 is suspended. The balance member or oscillator 4 consists of a simple bar with a weight at each end and an upwardly projecting axle 4a. The oscillator 4 is, in a manner known per se, floatingly supported on a steel wire 6. Secured in annular grooves of oscillator 4 and its axle 4a, respectively, are bearings 7 and 8, preferably jewels, which slidingly engage wire 6. Wire 6 is held by its enlarged ends in parts 9 and 10 of the fragmentarily illustrated supporting structure or chassis, of which a more detailed illustration and description will be found in the inventors US. Patent 2,763,123, referred to hereinbefore. The ends of spring 3am, in customary manner, riveted into the lower annular stud 1 as well as into the upper annular stud 2, the latter being stationarily secured to chassis member 10.

The centre opening 1a of stud 1 is somewhat larger than the outer diameter of the respective region of oscillator axle 4a. The connection between stud 1 and axle 4a is carried out as follows: firstly, spring 3 is adjusted by means of a pincette s0 that the inner surface 1a of stud 1 surrounds the outer surface of oscillator axle 4a with play, i.e. there is no contact at any. point between the two surfaces. Thereupon, a drop of a synthetic adhesive or of another originally liquid and subsequently hardenable adhesive or binder is introduced into the intervening space, which evenly distributes itself over the annular space and is allowed to harden or is rapidly hardened, e.g. in an oven, by the application of heat.

The illustrated and described arrangement and procedure achieves by simple means or measures that the spring 3 exerts no lateral pressures on the suspended oscillator 4, which, as indicated hereinbefore, could markedly impair the isochronism of the oscillations.

In place of a synthetic adhesive, specifically mentioned before, there also could under certain circumstances another adhesive or hinder be employed, such as for instance liquid putty or a suitable soldering material.

It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the illustrated and described embodiment but is susceptible to modifications and adaptations which will present themselves to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a movement control for timepieces, the combination: a chassis; a coil spring stationarily secured by its upper end to said chassis; a balance member floatingly supported on a wire; a lower annular stud secured to the lower end of said spring; an axle integrally connected with said balance member and extending upwardly therefrom; said lower stud enclosing an opening and surrounding with intervening space an axially extending part of said axle; and a binder of hardened, but originally liquid material filling said space and thereby interconnecting said lower stud and said axle.

2. In a movement control according to claim 1, in which said binder consists of a hardenable synthetic material.

3. In a movement control according to claim 2, in which said binder is a heat hardenable synthetic material.

4. In a movement control according to claim 1, in which said spring is free of lateral pressures exerted on said axle in a direction toward said wire.

5. Method of securement between oscillation-imparting coil spring and balance member of timepieces, in which said coil spring surrounds an upwardly projecting axle of said balance member and said balance member is suspended on said spring and fioatingly supported by a wire, the steps of securing the upper end of said spring to a stationary part of a chassis of the timepiece; of securing the lower end of said spring to an annular lower stud surrounding said axle by an opening having a larger inner diameter than the outer diameter of the adjacent section of said axle; and of filling the space between said stud and said axle with a liquid, subsequently hardening binder.

6. Method according to claim 5, in which said spring is bent prior to the insertion of said binder so that said lower stud has the interior surface of its opening all around spaced from said axle.

7. Method according to claim 5, in which a binder of liquid synthetic material is inserted intothe space between said stud and said axle and is subsequently hardened by heating.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,584,786 2/1952 Burgholf 58l 15 FOREIGN PATENTS 347,486 8/ 1960 Switzerland.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

M. L. LORCH, Assistant Examiner. 

5. METHOD OF SECUREMENT BETWEEN OSCILLATION-IMPARTING COIL SPRING AND BALANCE MEMBER OF TIMEPIECES, IN WHICH SAID COIL SPRING SURROUNDS AN UPWARDLY PROJECTING AXLE OF SAID BALANCE MEMBER AND SAID BALANCE MEMBER IS SUSPENDED ON SAID SPRING AND FLOATINGLY SUPPORTED BY A WIRE, THE STEPS OF SECURING THE UPPER END OF SAID SPRING TO A STATIONARY PART OF A CHASSIS OF THE TIMEPIECE; OF SECURING THE LOWER END OF SAID SPRING TO AN ANNULAR LOWER STUD SURROUNDING SAID AXLE BY AN OPENING HAVING A LARGER INNER DIAMETER THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE ADJACENT SECTION OF SAID AXLE; AND OF FILLING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID STUD AND SAID AXLE WITH A LIQUID, SUBSEQUENTLY HARDENING BINDER. 